Solo Travel Guide to Detroit

As a travel destination for solo travelers, Detroit is both underrated and often overlooked. This historic city is in a transition, but is filled with great food and fun for travelers on their own.

While the city does have its share of urban blight, on the positive side, prices are low here, your luxury hotel room will be well under $200, along with lower priced meals, car rentals and other travel expenses. Here is a guide to Detroit for solo travelers:

Where To Stay
For the ultimate in convenience, I like the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which is literally in the airport terminal. You can walk from the plane to the check-in desk in about 20 minutes, and vice-versa when it's time to depart. The hotel has its own security checkpoint (check the hours, it's not open 24 hours) for the ultimate in convenience. You can literally roll out of bed an hour before your flight, get ready and dressed, go downstairs, stroll through your private security entrance and walk to your gate within minutes. The hotel is calming, very luxurious and the rooms are comfortable and silent. We've stayed in a room overlooking the tarmac, you could sit and watch the planes taxi to and from the gates.

Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport
2501 Worldgateway Place
Detroit, MI 48242
( 734) 942-6500
starwoodhotels.com

For a bit more excitement, travelers on their own can stay at the MGM Grand Casino Hotel, right in downtown Detroit. They have luxurious corner suites, with views of the city and all the perks you find in Las Vegas. The hotel is close to Comerica Park if you go to a Tigers game.

MGM Grand Detroit
1777 Third Street
Detroit, MI 48226
(877) 888-2121
mgmgranddetroit.com

Daytime Fun
Solo travelers can find a few good museums to check out. If you like cars, The Henry Ford Museum is a must see. Henry himself planned the museum, as a showcase of the benefits of the automobile and mass production of it to our country. Ford didn't invent the car, he was the first to develop and use mass production methods, allowing him to produce huge quantities of vehicles at prices so low common people could afford them, which was revolutionary. Adult admission is $15 and of course, it's best reached by car.

Henry Ford Museum
20900 Oakwood Blvd
Dearborn , MI 48124
thehenryford.org

If the weather is nice, the Detroit Zoo is a fun place to spend some time. Possibly due to Detroit's cold winters, the zoo is home to the world's largest Polar exhibit, "The Arctic Ring of Life" with polar bears and penguins. The zoo is open 362 days a year and adult tickets are $12. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in the summer, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the fall and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the winter.

Detroit Zoo
8450 W 10 Mile Rd
Royal Oak, MI 48067
detroitzoo.org

If you travel during Major League Baseball season, make sure you take in a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park. Although the team may not be in the pennant race this year, there are always great seats available, even the day of the game. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Tiger's official website. The park has shops, restaurants, even a carousel and ferris wheel open on non-game days as well.

Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park
2100 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201
tigers.com

If you are in Detroit in a Saturday, head to the Greektown neighborhood for the massive Eastern Market, an indoor food paradise filled with food, cheese, produce and all kinds of goodies.

Where To Eat
We love Chef Michael Mina and we love steak, so our favorite place in Detroit is now Bourbon Steak at the MGM Grand. The MGM Grand also houses Mina's restaurant Saltwater, for seafood lovers, along with the Wolfgang Puck Grille. You can make reservations online for busy nights and holidays, which are necessary.

Bourbon Steak at MGM Grand Detroit
1777 Third Street
Detroit, MI 48226
(877) 888-2121
mgmgranddetroit.com

The Westin has a restaurant, DEMA which is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., we've tried it but it's a bit boring.

Motor City Brewing Works is a real brewery with all kinds of cool craft beers, like "Ghettoblaster". The beer is offered at many Detroit bars, but they have their own taproom and serve great pizza and other beer-friendly foods. They're open til midnight every night and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a big, loud place with first-come, first-served seating, so get there early, especially on the weekends. Solo travelers will have fun here and will meet a lot of new friends.

Motor City Brewing Works
470 West Canfield
Detroit, MI 48201
motorcitybeer.com

Bronx
If you like hipster dive bars, that also serve great burgers, this is your place. It became trendy after becoming popular with rock band The White Stripes, remaining popular for a cool vibe, cheap beer and good late-nite drunk dining. This and many other Detroit clubs are friendly to solo travelers and lack the pretentiousness you may find in Los Angeles or New York City, another great reason to visit the city.

Bronx
4476 2nd Ave in Midtown

Late Night Fun
Detroit has a great underground music and art scene and there are always events in both worlds every week. Check with locals and try to go with friends or locals for safety. Check out Apartment and Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit for cool dance and art happenings. The MGM Grand is also a great place for late night dining, drinking and dancing, with five lounges, clubs and bars offering a range of atmospheres in which to party. You can also gamble in the big casino.